Good morning. Welcome to the 2024 Commencement of the College of Pharmacy
Downers Grove. I'm Dr. Joshua Baker, Senior, Vice President and
Chief Academic Officer and it is my pleasure to welcome you to this
important day. I'm so pleased we are
able to celebrate this graduation with family and friends here in the auditorium as well as with those of
you watching us virtually. I ask you now to please rise for the processional as we welcome our platform party, graduates, and faculty to this ceremony
. Please remain standing and join us in
singing the National Anthem. After the National Anthem, please remain standing for
the opening reflection delivered by Miss Angela Martiy, Senior Vice President of Administration and
Communications. We invite everyone to please
remove your caps and hats. Good morning. Let us take a moment
to pause and reflect as we celebrate the
accomplishments of our graduates. As we gather together
on this joyous day: We are thankful for the dreams, hopes and plans that
have been nourished here at
Midwestern University. We appreciate the
caring faculty and staff who have shared their
knowledge and encouragement, And we express our
endless gratitude for the support of
family and friends. Graduates, may life bring
You: Enough challenge
to feel your dreams; Enough knowledge to realize
there's more to learn; Enough passion to serve your
community and profession; And enough opportunity
to nurture your spirit. Let us all celebrate
these graduates as they embark upon
the next stage
of their journey. Thank you. Thank you Miss Marty. The
audience will please be seated. I'm very pleased to introduce
Dr. Kathleen H Goeppinger, President and Chief
Executive Officer of Midwestern University. Dr. Goeppinger's leadership over the last 29 years has resulted in tremendous growth
for the University, new opportunities
for our students, and the expansion of
our community clinics. In her capacity as President
and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Goeppinger has transformed
the University from a single campus with
three academic programs, to two thriving campuses
offering 24 degrees in certificates to
nearly 7,000 students. Please join me in
welcoming Dr. Goeppinger. Well, good morning
to all of you. You know, this is such a
beautiful day on campus, I was so concerned, they were
talking about rain today. And then I walked out,
it's just gorgeous. And I thought everything is so special for the 64
graduates before us. So I'm going to
welcome all of you to this wonder
ful ceremony and hope that you enjoy this moment just as much
as the graduates will, because it really
is a special day. You know, it's a very
significant ceremony for Midwestern University
because this is the last class
that will graduate this time of year with
a 3.5 year curriculum. And so they're a
special class to us, there are 64 students
graduating today. And there's one bad
thing about this, and this is the last class
who ever had a summer off. Everybody else goes year round, but you had
that opportunity. But I'm really welcoming every
student that's here today. You're very special to us and it is a very significant
day in your life, as well as all your families. I'm often reminded that our graduations are very different than
other universities. So I want to share with you that we don't bring in
outside speakers, we have one student speaker and the rest of the time is
spent focusing on what I believe is the most
important reason why all of you are here and
that's your loved one.
And today they get called
doctor for the first time, and I think that that is a very, very important moment that
all of us should celebrate. So that is why we're here. But I also want to
quickly tell you about this class because I've
talked to the faculty, they did some surveys, and we really said
what's been different, what's been special
about this class. And I have to say they have
been a very impressive class. Six of you did a lot
of research posters. One of you actually got
published in a
research journal. Three members were inducted into Rho Chi and the honor societies. One student was a co author of a policy address that had to
be presented in Cincinnati. And a lot of you really
excelled in your coursework. You began a couple new
traditions on campus. You started. this class, started the founding of an
Infectious Disease club, and you held the first ever
Pharmacy Fall Festival. And I understand it was a huge hit and the students are going to carry
on your tradition following
this year.
Some of you went to Legislative
Day in Springfield. Many of you worked
in health fairs. You helped organizations
like Morning Star. You've collected and
sent medical supplies to countries that were in need. And then two very
special members of this class were
recognized for their contribution to
helping underserved communities and helping
immigrants and refugees. Those two students were awarded the Student Senate Awards for this whole year because
of their outreach. And so we should
be
thanking Lila and Lena, because they ended up very
big stars in this class. Class Officers, all four of
you were very, very busy. Sydney, Romond,
Raymond, and Tina, all of you did a great
job and were very active leading the class
in a number of activities. And then I have to tell
you that this class, while they had some
wonderful celebrations and two babies were
born to the class, I also know that you
suffered some losses. Two of you lost relatives. And all of you knew our
associate Dean, Pa
ula Giometti who passed away, and recently
our Dr. Patti Engel. So to those losses, you were there to
support each other, care for each other, and talk
through all of your grief. I asked the class, what do they want to forget, Everybody? What do you want to
forget in this 3.5 years? Well, the first thing
you guys told me, 07:00 A.M. exams, there's
no argument there. The second one you really disliked was the
lockdown browser, and that was painful, and then hours of exhaustion. So maybe those are
finally behind you. But with all that you did, you stuck together as a class. One of the things
that your faculty has told me is that you
became very unified. And I find that
interesting because you started during the pandemic and you had to come to class and go to campus in
cohorts of three. And you think about it,
you still were able to come together as a class
and get to know each other. And so for that I really
congratulate all of you. You've really made us proud, and today we're
going to b
e prouder because you're going
to be an alum. I also want to thank our
faculty that are here. I know we have a number
of faculty that were very instrumental in their education, their mentoring, their support. And they got them to this day and I think that's so important. So I'm going to ask if our academic faculty and any in the audience that
are here as our preceptors, would you stand so we can thank you and let
the class thank you. They are a very, very special group of faculty and I really co
ngratulate them for all
their accomplishments as they've helped
with all of you. Then I always have to tell the audience
who's on the stage. People are always curious, who's the platform party
at the graduation? So I'm going to really
quickly just ask them to stand and so I will just
quickly give you their names. The first one I'm going to ask
stand is Dr. Joshua Baker. He is our Senior Vice President, Chief Academic Officer, and your master of
ceremonies today. Miss Victoria Franks
is our Vice
President for Multicultural Affairs
and Community Outreach. Miss Angela Marty is the Senior Vice President of Administration
and Communication. Dr. Mary Lee is Vice President, Special Assistant
to the President, and was the Dean of this
college for many years, and was the Chief
Academic Officer of this college for many years. Miss Amy Gibson is
the Vice President of Human Resources
Organizational Development. Dr. Daniel Tapia is the Vice
President of Operations. Dr. Matthew Sweeney is a Senior V
ice President,
Chief Financial Officer. Dr. Gloria Yueh is the Vice President,
Chief Academic Officer. Dr. James Wood is the Assistant Vice President for all Research and
Sponsored Programs. And then the Academic
Deans that are here supporting your Dean
is Dr. Thomas Boyle, the Dean of Chicago College
of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Fred Romano, the Dean of the College
of Health Science, Dr. Melissa Suckow the Dean of Chicago
College of Optometry. Dr. Haering, the Dean of the College of
Dental Med
icine. And your Dean, Dr.
Mitch Emerson, Dean of the College of Pharmacy Let's give them all a
thank you for being here. And then finally,
my last recognition goes to all the
families that are here. You know, all of you had help in guiding and bringing your
loved one to this moment. Whether you're the mom, the dad, the grandparent,
the best friend, the spouse, you are part of this journey, and to every
family that's here, thank you for being
part of that journey. Thank you for encouraging them.
Thank you for listening when
they were having a bad day. Thank you for rejoicing when
they were having a good day. And thank you very much for the very active role you
played in their lives. And so to all of
you that are here, thank you for attending today. I know some of you traveled long distances and others might have just been
in the neighborhood. But no matter how you got here, you said it as a way to
show your love and support. So to everyone who's here, every guest on this campus, we than
k you and we welcome you. So let's have a
wonderful graduation. Thank you, Dr. Goeppinger. Dr. Carrie Sincak, Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs and Professor
of Pharmacy Practice, will now administer the
Oath of a Pharmacist. The oath can be found in
your program on page eight. We invite any individuals
who are pharmacists to please feel free to join the graduates in
reciting the oath. Will all the graduates
please rise? Is everyone
on page eight? Okay graduates, I want you to read along with m
e
loudly and proudly. Okay. I promise to devote
myself to a lifetime of service to others through
the profession of pharmacy. In fulfilling this vow: I will consider the welfare of humanity and relief
of suffering my primary concerns, I will promote inclusion, embrace diversity, and advocate for justice
to advance health equity. I will apply my
knowledge, experience, and skills to the
best of my ability to assure optimal outcomes
for all patients. I will respect and protect all personal and heal
th
information entrusted to me. I will accept the responsibility to improve my
professional knowledge, expertise, and self awareness. I will hold myself
and my colleagues to the highest principles of
our profession's moral, ethical, and legal conduct. I will embrace and advocate changes that improve
patient care. I will utilize my knowledge,
skills, experiences, and values to prepare the next
generation of pharmacists. I take these vows voluntarily
with the full realization of the responsibility
with which I am entrusted
by the public. Please remain standing. Dr. Mitchell, Emerson, Dean of the College of Pharmacy
will now present the graduating class, Dr. Goeppinger, upon the recommendation
of the faculty, I present the candidates for
the degree, Doctor of Pharmacy. Thank you very
much, Dr. Emerson. By the authority granted
invested in me by the State of Illinois and the Board of Trustees and
Midwestern University, I now confer upon you the
degree Doctor of Pharmacy, with all of the
a
ccompanying honors, privileges, and
responsibilities. Congratulations to
all of our graduates. You may now move
your tassels to the left and please be seated. Will the first row
of graduates please rise and follow the student
marshals to the stage. The graduates will please come forward to be congratulated
by their Dean, Dr. Emerson, and University
President, Dr. Goeppinger. In addition, it is my
pleasure to present each graduate with a special Midwest
University alumni pin. This alumni pin si
gnifies the graduates' special place
as important members of our academic family, and represents the beginning of
their professional journey. We will now announce the graduates, the names will be
announced by Dr. Sid Andurkar, Chair
Pharmaceutical Science, Dr. Yusif Abed Dr. Enas Abedelal Dr. Rania Abueida Dr. Michelle Adetokunbo
Abiola Adegbenro Dr. Faryal Amir Dr. Angelique Anonuevo Dr. Saja Salah Askar Dr. Deborah At Nikolla Dr. Ismael Ayesh Dr. Michael Barnas Dr. Razan Debabneh Dr. Jenna Nic
ole Dant Dr. Tamara Daoud Dr. Coretta Traeanna Dishmon Dr. Christine Lee Eugenides Dr. Alexis Ginai Farias Dr. Ieva Garbaliauskas Dr. Zoe Kimberly Gibson Dr. David Joseph Glogowski Dr. Stephanie Graf Dr. Tarek Hammondeh Dr. Michelle Maria Hannawa Dr. Tania Tran Ho Dr. Katelyn Marie Howe Dr. Hiba Qaisar Hussain Dr. Nooran O. Ismail Dr. Agatha M. Jagla Dr. Leila Ammeri Jonbos Dr. William Anthony Jordan Dr. Raymond Shwan Jubrail Dr. Reyam Hadi Katchi Dr. Gurpreet Kaur
Dr. Kanwal Ali Khanlodhi Dr.
Mahak Ali Khanlodhi Dr. Kelly Ann Kopanowski Dr. Timothy Connor Krafcisin Dr. Allison Anne Marcyan Dr. Mercedies Nicole Mikler Dr. Lynette Marie Nona Dr. Anisa Osmani Dr. Damian Paciorek Dr. Sun Hee Park Dr. Rachael Rynae Parker Dr. Velia Ortiz Martinez Dr. Cristina Maria Pecoraro Dr. Naqib Naseer Rahim Bux Dr. Bradley Reitenga Dr. Maria Reji Dr. Thomas J. Riedl Dr. Franklin Olivo Rijo Dr. Terry K. Ruffin Dr. Yazeed Samer Salah Dr. Nadia Jennifer Salifu Dr. Carissa Sass Dr. Martin Andrew Sornat
Dr. Matthew Tambor Dr. Lamya Tarawneh Dr. Olufemi Teniola Dr. Tina Vafaie Dr. Gurbet Wardak Dr. Sydney Marie Waskin Dr. Alex Chuan Wu Dr. Ammar Ossama Zorub Ladies and gentlemen, why don't you join me in congratulating this entire class one more time for their wonderful
accomplishments. The Chicago Classic
Brass will now perform "Rejoicing" from the
Royal Fireworks by Handel. We will now hear remarks from Class Representative,
Dr. Sun Hee Park Congratulations to the
Pharmacy Class of 2024. It i
s an honor to speak to you all on this unforgettable day. I want to begin by thanking
our outstanding professors, faculty and staff for their
dedication to our program. The professors who became
lifelong mentors and fellow classmates for making my pharmacy journey
impactful and memorable. Let me also recognize
the parents, family members, and friends
of our remarkable class. You have been our supporters
through thick and thin. So thank you for making this possible for each
and every one of us. W
e have come so
far from starting pharmacy school in the
midst of a pandemic, taking exams from home
through the lockdown browser. And we were lucky if we
had it updated on time, wearing mask and class, and maintaining social
distance wherever we went. I remember going to the
campus Organization Fair, meeting people for the first
time without face masks, and it was truly an eye
opening experience. As the lockdown was uplifted, we started becoming
closer, connecting with one another through attend
ing
in person lectures, small group study sessions, and joining school organizations together. Throughout
pharmacy school, I had the privilege to meet such a diverse group of people that have taught me
valuable life lessons. From our esteemed professors, who consistently push us to
reach our full potential, challenging our
medical knowledge and strengthening our
clinical skills. From patient cases that
compelled us to navigate complex
conditions and scenarios. All of our experiences
have foste
red growth and enhanced our ability to
provide optimal patient care. I did not know this day
would finally come so fast. My fellow graduates, we came to pharmacy school to become pharmacists who play a
crucial role in health care, ensuring patient safety,
becoming that medical expert, and contributing to a
patient centric health care. You are here today because of your sustained commitment and your perseverance has
finally paid off. As pharmacists, I encourage you to work with a one
health minds
et. To collaborate with
physicians, nurses, dentists, psychologists, and many more. To provide comprehensive
interdisciplinary care. Because caring for patients
is still the heart and soul in the art of medicine, Obtaining a doctor's
degree doesn't come from staying in the
comfortable boundaries of what you already know. Reflect on the journey that
led you to this point. Identify the moments that
pose the greatest challenges. When were you required
to venture beyond the familiar ground to
fulfil
l your potential? Remember those times, I promise they will empower
you and strengthen you. Keep learning, keep
asking questions, and always remember
that pharmacy is both an art and a science. It not only combines
research and training, but also brings about
humanity and compassion. I look at this unsettled
world and yes, I then see the challenges. But I'm here to tell you, I
also see the opportunities, the opportunities to continue
your pursuit of knowledge, the opportunities to make a positiv
e impact in
the field of pharmacy. The opportunities
to contribute to the betterment of healthcare
and be agents of change. I encourage you to embrace
those opportunities and apply everything you have
gained at Midwestern and strive for excellence in all you do.
We all come from different backgrounds and
endure different journeys, but our unique story set us
apart and make us who we are. I encourage you to connect with people who challenge
and inspire you. Invest time in their company. You'll w
itness a transformative
impact on your life. Remember, none of
us are here today solely due to our own
individual efforts. This day marks the end of our magnificent pharmacy
school journey. But undeniably, every ending is accompanied by
a new beginning. As you step into the next
chapter of your journey, I hope you make a lasting impact in the world of health care. No matter where life takes us, we will always be connected through the memories
we shared at our time here at Midwestern University C
ollege of Pharmacy. Today I want to give you a
healthy dose of inspiration. A prescription for becoming the best pharmacist you can be, add a sprinkle of laughter because while it may not
be the best medicine, it certainly makes the journey
of life a bit brighter. Fellow graduates embrace
the rainy days with a smile so that you may
have more sunny days ahead. Once again, congratulations to the Pharmacy Class of 2024, and cheers the incredible future that awaits each and
every one of you. Thank y
ou, Dr. Park
Dr. Goeppinger will now deliver her closing remarks to the graduating class. Well, I want to thank Dr. Baker for being your Master
of Ceremonies, but I have to say, Dr. Park, that's one of the
very best graduation speeches I've heard in years. So you did a wonderful job. And I hope you all remember the prescription she gave
you at the very end. But I want to take just
a minute as we close the ceremony to say thank
you to every graduate. You know, you had
a choice when you decided t
o go to
graduate school. You had a choice when you
decided on pharmacy colleges. But I think we were very, very fortunate to have you pick Midwestern University.
Because you've shown us that you could
be a perseverance, that you had the
stamina to do it, and that you came to us
even during a pandemic. And you think about
the decisions that you had to
make along the way. And yet we're very grateful that you
made the one you did, because we believe you were a special class
and we think that you'r
e going to go
out and do wonderful things in your career. And I do know, just
as Dr. Park said, we really are starting
another journey. And the new journey is one that's going to take
you at different places and different times in
the next few years. I know some of you are
going right into practice. I think eight of you are leaving state within a couple of weeks. I know that many of you have
applied for residencies and actually seven of you
have already accepted fellowships.
And during that ti
me you've all been making very important decisions. Right now there is a shortage of
pharmacists out there, so the jobs are really abundant. You just look at some
of the stores closing, think about some of the issues that the profession's
going through, and I know that
you're going to have very active careers and you're going to make the career
you want it to be. But I hope that as
members of this class, you do remember that
your education came first and that you balanced
out your learning ever
y day, because you're going to
continue to learn every day. But you're going to go
into a new workplace and a new time with I hope
great confidence. You know, the faculty
always tell me they would not recommend
you for graduation if they weren't confident in
your abilities to do well. Go with that confidence and
know that they really trust you to do wonderful things in
your career. And every day it can be a different gift if
you try to make it special. But there's one thing I tell
every graduati
ng class as I close the ceremony. I want you all you
remember one thing. If you can be anything, be kind. Be kind to the patients
that come to you. Be kind to their family
members who come to you, be kind to your colleagues, be kind to the profession, and be kind to those
that count on you. And most of all, be
kind to your family, they love you, they've
supported you, and you're going to continue
to give back to them. And I want you to also
be kind to yourself. So many of you are
going into new
careers. You're going into new journeys. That's a wonderful opportunity, but it's also an
opportunity for you to just remember that you've had
a great time at school, you're ready to move on into new opportunities
and new adventures. So I'm hoping that the joy of today lasts you for
many, many years. And I hope that your careers are wonderful and that you're showered with kindness
from other also. So have a wonderful time and thank you for
being at Midwestern. Thank you, Dr. Goeppinger. The aud
ience will please stand for the closing reflection, which will be given by
Miss Victoria Franks, Vice President of Multicultural Affairs and Community Outreach. As we come to the close of
our commencement proceedings, we extend our best
wishes to our graduates and all who have love and
support them along the way. Graduates, we know that you are ready to employ your knowledge, reasoning, and skills with
integrity and compassion. Today, you leave Midwestern
University as fellow alumni, and we wish
you joy, health and success,
hoping you may return in future days to celebrate again the journey
that began here. Thank you.
Thank you, Miss Franks. The audience will
please be seated As we bring this Commencement to a close and prepare
for our recessional, we want to thank
you on behalf of Midwestern University
for attending, and we congratulate the
graduates and their families. We would also like to
thank Dave Johnston from Chicalba Bag Piping and the Chicago Classic
Brass for the music at
today's ceremony. We request that the audience
remain seated while the platform party, faculty and graduates recess.
This commencement will now be brought to a close.
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